zebra aggression

[bkhenry]

I have two birds, Chestnut Flanked White, that just are not getting along to the tune of a very expensive vet bill to save one from an infection. I've separated them and they are in the same room for now but alone in their cages. I'm wondering if I should purchase two more birds and just have two cages or if they can stay alone but in the same room to talk to each other. I'm new to the finching world- and getting a little frustrated.

[ac12]

Zebras can be frustrating birds to raise. I have one that was very mellow, and others that are TERRORS. When you pair them up, same sex, some will get along and others will FIGHT.

One trick that I have used was to put them in a divided breeding cage with the divider in place. That way they can see each other but they can't fight. After a week or two like this, when I remove the divider the aggressive one was no longer aggressive to the other bird. But I have also had it where the aggressive one just took off being aggressive again. So it is worth a try, just keep an eye on them.

Also remove anything that looks like it could be used as a nest. That could trigger an aggressive breeding behavior.

I have also put single caged birds next to each other, so they can socialize but not physically touch each other. The separation is to protect one that has a bad leg from being picked on.